How to prepare your home for an autumn sale

Autumn brings colourful trees, crisp mornings, earlier nights and cooling weather, but it’s also an ideal time to put your property up for sale.

It’s traditionally a busy time of year for the property market, as many people want to be moved into their new home before the winter festivities roll around. They also want to get the moving process out of the way while the weather is still mild.

If you are thinking of selling this autumn, here are some tips to help you increase your chances of pushing through a sale.

Let the light in

Properties are generally best viewed during the daytime. However, with the nights starting to draw in, it’s important to make sure your home is well-lit on viewing day. This means cleaning the windows, opening the blinds and curtains, using energy saving bulbs even during the day, and hanging extra mirrors on the walls to reflect brightness.

Consider placing lamps in key rooms to add atmosphere. Whiter lights work best for big, bright rooms but a more yellow tone in smaller rooms can create a cosy, homely vibe.

Make your garden thrive

Autumn is the season where the great outdoors looks its best, offering an array of colours that create a pleasing aesthetic for your garden. As outdoor space is often a key selling factor and attracts many prospective buyers, you will need to show your garden in its best light.

Sweep up the autumn leaves as regularly as you can and keep up with weeding and mowing. To make sure the space is completely neat and tidy, spruce up hedges and flowerbeds, clean the patio and consider adding a splash of colour with a few pots and plants in the borders.

If you have one, a front garden will also play a part in your sales strategy, as it will be the first thing buyers will see. Therefore, it needs to be in tip-top shape, hedges trimmed, grass neat and free of clutter.

Clear gutters and drains

While the colourful and vibrant autumn leaves are lovely to look at, they can cause real problems for your gutters and drains, clogging them up if not cleared away regularly. Because of this, it’s best to check up on your guttering and drainage on a regular basis to ensure they are free from leaves.

Leaves could also be swept onto your driveway or front garden, making the home look careless and unkempt to would-be buyers, so it’s best to sweep these away as well.

Bring the season indoors

You want potential buyers to fall in love with your home the minute they set their eyes on it. The easiest way to do this is through presentation. Incorporating natural smells, colours and senses into the home can be inviting to buyers.

You could also bring the season indoors with autumnal scents such as cinnamon, spiced apple, wood and smoke. Lighting a fire, for example, can create a woody, smoky smell reminiscent of autumn. Lastly, consider lamps, candles and fairy lights to bring a soothing ambience on viewing day.

Each season brings a new opportunity to get creative and revitalise your home before you come to sell. By doing so, you can increase the appeal of your property and attract more prospective buyers before winter hits.

Here at Keys and Lee, we assist sellers throughout the selling process in Romford. For more information on how we can help to sell your home, contact us on 01708 766 241.